The sound of a blade being sharpened against a whetstone echoes through the air. While everyone else remains silent, I’m maintaining my kitchen knife for what’s ahead. Kuuga is maintaining his sword, while Lill holds the reins and drives. As for Aeclys, she’s intently watching what I’m doing with obvious enjoyment. Under the blue sky, inside the covered wagon, we’re all spending time in a relaxed manner. Hello everyone, it’s Shuri here.
“Which village are we heading to next?”
I ask while sharpening my knife in the swaying wagon. We’re on a journey to gain the understanding of the major villages. I wonder what kind of place we’ll find next.
“Hm? The next village?”
Aeclys responds, tilting her head coyly. Damn, that’s cute.
“The next one is called Shukaha. They used to supply thread and fabric to Sounité.”
Hmm. Thread and fabric. That’s quite important. Of course, thread and fabric are essential for people to live cultured lives. From clothes to medical bandages to cooking twine, they’re used in all sorts of ways. A village that supplied those things, huh. They must not have good feelings toward Gungrave either.
“Thread and fabric are pretty important items. How are things there now?” “Well… we received a letter from them.”
Aeclys says, leaning against the side of the wagon.
“They said, ‘We fulfilled our tax obligations because we were part of Sounité. But now that this country is no longer Sounité, we have no obligation to fulfill those duties.’“ “Wow. That’s quite the declaration of defiance.”
I can’t help but grimace as I say this. For a simple farming village to so boldly defy Gungrave, they must have considerable confidence. Either they can survive without being under his rule, or they’ve found new backing. This is the most troublesome pattern, isn’t it? I really don’t want to get involved.
“What’s your take on their calculations, Aeclys?” “Maybe they’ve found new distribution channels, or they think they can get protection from another lord. …But I don’t know. The thread and fabric from Shukaha Village are certainly high quality. But that alone doesn’t mean they can suddenly find different lords or trading partners to sell to.” “Why’s that?” “It’s simple. That village is strictly focused on producing thread and fabric, they’re not set up for commerce. Well, that’s partly how we treated them too. We didn’t want them competing with outside merchants, so we bought their goods at fair prices and were careful about the quality and quantity of fabric they paid as taxes. If they traded with us and stayed under our protection, they could focus on thread-making and weaving without worrying about commerce. It made things easier for them.”
I see. So they’re first-rate craftsmen when it comes to production, but inexperienced as merchants. But you know…
“Even so, wouldn’t merchants want to trade with them once they see the quality of their thread and fabric?” “Well, yes. Or maybe… but I just corrected that thought because when I visited for inspections, they really seemed like pure craftsmen. Could their mindset have changed before we got to know them better?”
As Aeclys ponders this while interlacing her fingers, there’s a sharp sound of a sword being sheathed. Looking over, I see Kuuga putting away his sword after finishing its maintenance.
“A person’s nature ain’t something that changes so easily.”
Kuuga says, opening his mouth to speak. He continues while putting away various sword maintenance tools like powder and whetstones.
“That’s especially true for craftsmen. Their nature is shaped by the skills they’ve gained over a lifetime, the experience backing those skills, and their reputation in society. That kind of ingrained nature is stubborn. I think there’s a different reason.” “Oh? Kuuga knows what it is? I’ll test you – what do you think it is?”
When Aeclys asks teasingly, Kuuga crosses his arms, looks at her, and responds.
“For example.” “Yes.” “Maybe they were insulted about their work.” “What’s that supposed to mean?”
Aeclys pouts as she responds to Kuuga’s answer.
“I made sure to treat them well. Like blacksmiths and carpenters, they’re skilled vassals and technicians. They’re important vassals like everyone else, and I respected them.” “Look, I’m just making a guess. It’s just the only reason I could think of for why craftsmen would get angry. That’s all.”
With that, Kuuga lies down to get comfortable.
“I ain’t particularly clever, so I can only go by my gut.” “You think I disrespected them?” “Nah, not you. Maybe Gungrave, but this is just my gut feeling too.” “What do you mean by-” “I’m gonna sleep until we get there. Wake me up when we arrive.”
Wait, what about the explanation? Before I can ask, Kuuga is already breathing the steady breaths of sleep. Using a convenient skill from his mercenary group days, he’s demonstrating his ability to sleep whenever he wants and wake whenever he wants. Don’t show that off now. But this is troublesome. While I’m scratching my head in confusion, Aeclys is also sighing with a troubled expression beside me.
“Sigh… possibilities other than rational reasons, huh?” “Huh?” “What Kuuga probably meant is that it’s not about profit or rationality or efficiency or whatever you want to call it. In other words, it’s emotional. They simply can’t accept it.” “You mean… because Gungrave became the new lord and even changed the territory’s name?” “Yes. We should have considered that possibility. From their perspective, someone else changed their homeland arbitrarily. The name, the traditions, everything. It’s not strange that some people would be emotionally unable to accept that.” “Won’t that make persuading them difficult?” “I think so too.”
Aeclys sighs deeply again and closes her eyes with a troubled expression. Well, it was similar in Eere Village too… can’t be helped I guess.
“Sorry to interrupt.”
Lill’s voice comes from the front.
“If the map is correct, we should arrive at our destination in about two hours. I recommend getting some rest.” “Oh, are we that close already?”
I stick my head out of the wagon and indeed, the surroundings have changed. Specifically, the road maintenance has improved. Until now it was just a basic path, but this area has properly leveled roads. The scenery is quite different from before too.
“Well, let’s think about it after we arrive. Shuri, you should rest too. I’ll take a short nap as well.”
When I turn around, Aeclys yawns sleepily, stretches, and lies down. The fact that she’s closing her eyes to sleep shows she’s quite used to traveling. She mentioned doing inspections, so maybe she’s accustomed to journeys like this. I guess I’ll rest a bit too. Just as I’m about to lie down somewhere random, Aeclys suddenly opens her eyes and starts patting the space next to her energetically.
“When there’s a lovely young lady sleeping here, isn’t it best to take advantage and sleep next to her!?” “I’ll pass.” “Why!?” “Because… I feel like you might do something weird.” “I wouldn’t do anything like that! Since we’re sleeping, it can’t be helped if our legs get tangled up!” “That’s exactly what I mean.” “You’re too noisy!”
We get scolded by Kuuga for being loud.
Then while taking a short nap, I hear Lill’s voice through my drowsiness.
“Shuri.” “Mm…” “Shuri… time to wake up” “Yes… understood”
I rub my sleepy eyes and try to get up… but why does my body feel heavy? When I properly wake up and move my neck, I find Aeclys sleeping while clinging to me.
“Munya munya… such… such embarrassing things…! But…”
I hear some concerning sleep talk, but I swear I didn’t do anything. Looking to the side, I see Kuuga, who was supposed to be sleeping while leaning against the wagon, showing a peaceful sleeping face.
“…there, Shuri… strike there…”
Huh? What kind of dream is he having? From the outside it probably looks like an ordinary guy being cuddled by two beauties while sleeping, but one is a man and the other is a woman in men’s clothes. Worst case scenario it looks like three men sleeping together… let’s stop thinking about this. Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen Kuuga sleeping with such a peaceful, gentle expression. Combined with his features, it’s quite a beautiful sleeping face. However, I should probably get up soon before Lill gets angry. So I carefully untangle myself from Aeclys’s embrace without waking her, and move her legs to tangle with Kuuga’s instead.
“Kekeke, you’ll be surprised when you wake up.”
Leaving them like that with mischievous intent, I move to the driver’s seat and sit next to Lill.
“Good morning. Have we arrived?” “Yes. Look, over there.”
Looking where Lill points, I can indeed see houses coming into view. Several impressive wooden houses. And among them, two large wooden factory-like buildings that catch the eye. I wonder if that’s where they do the thread-making and weaving…? I see, with such impressive factories, it makes sense that they supplied thread and fabric to the lord. They clearly have the facilities to do so.
“And over there you can see Shukaha Village’s special cotton fields.” “Oh.”
Looking where Lill indicates, there are cotton fields spreading as far as the eye can see. They seem to be using vast tracts of land for cotton cultivation, visible far into the distance. But… this makes me wonder.
“What about their food situation?” “What do you mean?” “Well, I’m wondering where they grow crops for their own food. Managing and cultivating this much cotton must require considerable labor and manpower.”
Of course, this isn’t Earth. There are no agricultural machines or pesticides. Yet managing and maintaining such vast fields must take tremendous effort. Plus, what about fertilizer and water? I don’t know if cotton fertilizer is the same as regular field fertilizer, but they must need something to maintain the soil quality. With all that labor required, how are they handling fields for their own food? I’m curious.
“Obviously fields don’t just take care of themselves. When you consider management, maintenance, and protection, I wonder if they have time to grow their own food.” “Uwaaaaah!?” “What’s happening!?” “You pervert!!!” “Perv!?”
While I’m talking with Lill, we hear shouts, yells, and screams from behind. What’s going on!? As I try to look back, someone bursts out next to me.
“Shuri!! Listen to me!” “What’s wrong, Kuuga?”
There stands Kuuga, with a red handprint on his right cheek…
“I don’t know what happened, but while I was sleeping, I somehow ended up sleeping on the floor with Aeclys tangling her legs with mine! I don’t know anything about it but Aeclys suddenly slapped me, what’s going on!?” “That’s my line!”
Aeclys comes out from behind with tears in her eyes.
“I was supposed to be sleeping with Shuri, so why was Kuuga sleeping next to me!? What’s going on!?”
From there, they both start shouting their sides of the story, but honestly, I’m internally breaking out in a cold sweat. I didn’t expect my prank to turn out this badly… in this situation, I should…
“Who knows?”
I play dumb.
And so we arrive at Shukaha Village, park our wagon at the entrance, and enter the village.
I can hear Aeclys and Kuuga’s curse-like argument continuing behind us, but I should probably clear up their misunderstanding sometime… wonder if I can?
“So, Aeclys. The village chief…” “At this time, they’re probably in that thread-making factory over there? They do spinning too.” “Spinning too.”
I see. Thread-making refers to creating thread from silkworm cocoons, while spinning is making thread from plant and animal fibers like cotton. I didn’t really understand before and lumped all thread-making together… which means.
“So that other factory is for silkworm cultivation or something?” “Correct. They need that scale of operation to balance supply and demand.”
I see…
“By the way, how do they handle food? I don’t see any food crops around.” “Basically hunting and gathering wild plants, plus buying from merchant caravans that visit regularly. We’ve been providing support too, trying to prevent food shortages.” “Yet they’ve stopped listening.”
I see. So they’re both paying taxes in thread and selling it. I thought that might be the case. Now then, I wonder what kind of person the village chief is. I’m curious.
“Then let’s go meet them. This way.”
I follow Aeclys’s lead toward the thread-making and spinning factory. When we open the entrance door, I’m surprised.
“This is like the Tomioka Silk Mill…”
The interior is incredibly hot. I remember visiting a thread-making factory on a school field trip, and it feels similar. There’s intense heat and humidity from the silk reeling process, where cocoons are loosened in hot water. People are working on thread-making operations all over. Spinning is also being done simultaneously, and I can see that work too. Huh, so that’s how it works. While I’m impressed watching this, Lill is muttering something while thinking beside me.
“Lill? What’s wrong?” “These machines… they’re using magic engineering tools…? Simple construction but… is this how craftsmen maximize their performance…?”
It seems she’s looking at the work tools from a magic engineer’s perspective.
“Whatever, but it’s hot. Let’s finish our business and get out of here.” “Hmm, honestly I agree with Kuuga…”
While it’s interesting to watch, it’s just too hot. Hot and sticky. Can’t stand it. As Aeclys heads deeper into the factory, an elderly person appears.
“My word! If it isn’t Lady Aeclys…! Thank goodness you’re safe!” “It’s been a while, village chief. …Eh? Safe?” “So you managed to escape here… We’ll contact other villages immediately and prepare to hide you!”
The village chief is speaking rapidly, while Aeclys seems confused about what’s going on. What’s that about? …Ah, I get it.
“What’s that about? What’s going on?” “They probably think she escaped from Gungrave.”
Kuuga makes a shocked face at my words. Come to think of it, that possibility existed. Among people dissatisfied with Gungrave’s regime, some might believe Aeclys was being mistreated and would escape. It seems this village thought that too…
“Rest assured, Lady Aeclys. We of Shukaha Village haven’t forgotten the great debt we owe you! We won’t speak of disloyalty. You can stay as long as you like, and using our merchant connections to gather people, from that brutal Gungrave, this territory-” “W-wait! You’re misunderstanding!”
Here Aeclys finally seems to come to her senses and stops the village chief’s words.
“Let’s talk calmly… let’s go to your house.”
And so, we end up going to the village chief’s house.
“I see… so Lady Aeclys, you retired of your own accord.”
Invited to the village chief’s house, we had to explain everything again. At first, upon learning we were Gungrave’s companions, they looked ready to attack us, but somehow they’ve calmed down. Outside the windows of the village chief’s house, villagers who had heard of our arrival were packed tightly, observing us.
“That’s right. Neither I nor Gyngus had the talent to navigate the coming turbulent times. I handled internal affairs while Gyngus handled military matters, and we both honed our abilities in our positions and roles, so we could complement each other’s strengths…” “But there can only be one lord’s seat. With two factions… I see, it would eventually fall apart. So you decided to entrust everything to a third party who possessed both of your strengths.” “Of course, both Gyngus and I maintain departments to monitor the new lord to prevent any reckless behavior. Gungrave has agreed to this.”
Eh? Was that how it was? Listening to Aeclys and the village chief’s conversation, I can’t help but look at Kuuga and Lill’s faces. They both nod, so it must be true. I didn’t know that… Gungrave was quite considerate of Aeclys and the others after all.
“…I understand the situation. If that’s the case, one of our concerns has been addressed.” “Then-”
Aeclys leans forward with a smile, but the village chief maintains a stern expression while crossing his arms and responds.
“Even so, showing our allegiance will be difficult.”
At these words, we all freeze. Looking out the window, the villagers are nodding too…
“May I ask why?” “Well, you see-”
Just as the village chief starts to answer, someone roughly opens the door and bursts into the room. There stands a young man with a healthy sun-tanned complexion.
“Grandpa! I heard Lady Aeclys was here!” “Mansem…”
The village chief says with a tired expression. Mansem, as he’s called, strides right in. Standing next to the village chief, Mansem glares at us.
“I don’t know why you’re here, but I’m glad Lady Aeclys is safe. These people? Guards?” “No, Mansem. Let me correct your misunderstanding – these people are companions of Lord Gungrave.” “What did you say!?” “Lady Aeclys gave up her position as lord voluntarily. So our concerns were unfounded.” “Even so, I refuse to follow him!”
Mansem clenches his fist with a frustrated expression.
“He! Gungrave ignored us! He held his wedding ceremony without us, the producers of the finest thread and cloth in the domain!” “…Ah!!”
At Mansem’s words, Aeclys covers her mouth with her hand, as if suddenly remembering something. It seems Aeclys now understands everything that happened. Though we’re completely lost. Both Lill and Kuuga are looking around with wide eyes, wondering what this is about. Let me ask about this.
“Excuse me, but could you explain what you mean by that?” “It’s simple! When members of the lord’s family held wedding ceremonies, it was customary for us to send ceremonial garments we’d poured our hearts into making! The finest ceremonial clothes, created by us who dedicate our lives to thread and cloth-making, for our lord! Gungrave ignored that and finished his wedding ceremony without us!”
Ah, now I’m starting to understand the situation.
“So, you mean it was normal for Shukaha Village to send wedding garments made from their finest thread and cloth for the lord’s wedding ceremony.” “That’s right! …We’re just a bunch of craftsman fools who only know how to make thread and cloth.”
Mansem looks down even more frustrated as he continues.
“Normally, people would cultivate fields and treat thread and cloth-making as secondary. That’s natural, right? If you can’t be self-sufficient, it doesn’t matter if you can earn your keep. But Lady Aeclys was different. She protected our craftwork and created an environment where we could focus on our work. Thanks to that, the quality of our thread and cloth has improved dramatically in recent years. Merchants heard about us, and we were able to establish trade. The village has become much more prosperous than before. That’s not all. Before, many young people would leave, looking down on thread-making, but after we gained pride and confidence in our work, that decreased. People from other villages even started coming to us, wanting to learn our techniques. We can’t thank Lady Aeclys enough. We’re eternally grateful.”
Here Mansem starts to tear up.
“Then we got word that Lady Aeclys had been dragged down from the lord’s seat. Through merchant gossip. And we heard that the usurper Gungrave would hold a wedding ceremony. We were torn. Even if he’s a usurper, Gungrave is now the lord. With a wedding ceremony coming up, we were sure we’d receive a request for wedding garments. Many said we should ignore it. I felt the same way. But this is all we know how to do… if we rejected it, who knows what would happen. So with heavy hearts, we decided to accept if the request came.”
Mansem raises his face and pounds the table with tears still streaming down his face. Then he glares at us even more intensely than before, with enough anger in his gaze to kill.
“But we were ignored! We only heard about it after the wedding ceremony was over! You have no idea how we felt waiting for that request! You didn’t know, so you ignored us and finished the wedding ceremony! You spat on our pride! As if saying you didn’t even need to know about us!” “That’s…” “I don’t want to hear any excuses.”
Mansem cuts me off as I try to speak.
“That’s why we can’t follow you. If you’re going to ignore us, we’ll do things our own way!” “Mansem, that’s wrong, that’s wrong. This is entirely my fault.”
Aeclys stands up and places her hand on Mansem’s clenched fist.
“We hadn’t forgotten. We didn’t ignore you. While Gungrave has become lord, he hasn’t yet learned to consider everything around him. I should have advised him about this. I should have guided him. I’m truly sorry. Truly… this was my oversight.” “It’s not Lady Aeclys’s fault! It’s not your fault…! But still, we’re so frustrated…!”
Mansem breaks down in tears while Aeclys consoles him. It seems others around share the same feelings – people outside have bitter expressions, and the village chief is frowning with his head down. Indeed, having your professional pride trampled is no small matter. I can only relate from my position as a chef, but if Gungrave had told me not to cook for his crucial wedding ceremony, I’d feel betrayed and frustrated too. These people must have felt even more frustrated and sad, beyond what they could handle. That’s why some are crying this much.
“I think I’ll step outside for a bit.”
Unable to bear the atmosphere in the room, I move to leave.
“Me too. Better if we ain’t here.” “And Lill too.”
Kuuga and Lill come with me. The three of us leave the village chief’s house, wander aimlessly, and I end up collapsing in a sitting position in an empty square. The heat from the ground and the blue of the sky somehow feel distant now. It seems Kuuga and Lill feel the same way, as we sit facing each other.
“…I didn’t know,” Kuuga says.
He removes his scabbard from his waist and places it on the ground.
“So this is what it means to have a country.” “Yes.”
Lill nods.
“You have to consider the feelings of people far away who you don’t even know. Lill had no idea. Gungrave will have to fight against so many barriers like this.” “Me too. I thought I was supporting Gungrave, but when it really mattered, I couldn’t do anything.”
We continue to express our feelings to each other, as if letting everything out.
“Maybe other villages are similar? The previous village… well, I think that’s resolved but…” “That’s likely. We should assume there are others holding grudges because we unknowingly ignored them.” “We should inform Gungrave right away.” “Agreed. We should write a letter and deliver it under the pretense of a survey report.”
Other villages must be the same. People who contributed during the previous lord’s time are probably angry about being ignored in some way.
“Lill, please handle the letter.” “Understood. What about Shuri?” “I’ll go back there with Kuuga.” “Huh? What are you planning?” “At the very least, if that’s the cause, there are things we need to discuss.”
I turn my feet back toward the village chief’s house.
“And there are things we need to do as well.”
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Chapter 61
The sound of a blade being sharpened against a whetstone echoes through the air. While everyone else remains silent, I’m maintaining my kitchen knife for what’s ahead.
Kuuga is maintaining his sword, while Lill holds the reins and drives.
As for Aeclys, she’s intently watching what I’m doing with obvious enjoyment.
Under the blue sky, inside the covered wagon, we’re all spending time in a relaxed manner.
Hello everyone, it’s Shuri here.
“Which village are we heading to next?”
I ask while sharpening my knife in the swaying wagon.
We’re on a journey to gain the understanding of the major villages. I wonder what kind of place we’ll find next.
“Hm? The next village?”
Aeclys responds, tilting her head coyly. Damn, that’s cute.
“The next one is called Shukaha. They used to supply thread and fabric to Sounité.”
Hmm. Thread and fabric. That’s quite important.
Of course, thread and fabric are essential for people to live cultured lives. From clothes to medical bandages to cooking twine, they’re used in all sorts of ways.
A village that supplied those things, huh. They must not have good feelings toward Gungrave either.
“Thread and fabric are pretty important items. How are things there now?”
“Well… we received a letter from them.”
Aeclys says, leaning against the side of the wagon.
“They said, ‘We fulfilled our tax obligations because we were part of Sounité. But now that this country is no longer Sounité, we have no obligation to fulfill those duties.’“
“Wow. That’s quite the declaration of defiance.”
I can’t help but grimace as I say this.
For a simple farming village to so boldly defy Gungrave, they must have considerable confidence. Either they can survive without being under his rule, or they’ve found new backing.
This is the most troublesome pattern, isn’t it? I really don’t want to get involved.
“What’s your take on their calculations, Aeclys?”
“Maybe they’ve found new distribution channels, or they think they can get protection from another lord.
…But I don’t know. The thread and fabric from Shukaha Village are certainly high quality. But that alone doesn’t mean they can suddenly find different lords or trading partners to sell to.”
“Why’s that?”
“It’s simple. That village is strictly focused on producing thread and fabric, they’re not set up for commerce. Well, that’s partly how we treated them too. We didn’t want them competing with outside merchants, so we bought their goods at fair prices and were careful about the quality and quantity of fabric they paid as taxes. If they traded with us and stayed under our protection, they could focus on thread-making and weaving without worrying about commerce. It made things easier for them.”
I see. So they’re first-rate craftsmen when it comes to production, but inexperienced as merchants.
But you know…
“Even so, wouldn’t merchants want to trade with them once they see the quality of their thread and fabric?”
“Well, yes. Or maybe… but I just corrected that thought because when I visited for inspections, they really seemed like pure craftsmen. Could their mindset have changed before we got to know them better?”
As Aeclys ponders this while interlacing her fingers, there’s a sharp sound of a sword being sheathed.
Looking over, I see Kuuga putting away his sword after finishing its maintenance.
“A person’s nature ain’t something that changes so easily.”
Kuuga says, opening his mouth to speak. He continues while putting away various sword maintenance tools like powder and whetstones.
“That’s especially true for craftsmen. Their nature is shaped by the skills they’ve gained over a lifetime, the experience backing those skills, and their reputation in society. That kind of ingrained nature is stubborn. I think there’s a different reason.”
“Oh? Kuuga knows what it is? I’ll test you – what do you think it is?”
When Aeclys asks teasingly, Kuuga crosses his arms, looks at her, and responds.
“For example.”
“Yes.”
“Maybe they were insulted about their work.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
Aeclys pouts as she responds to Kuuga’s answer.
“I made sure to treat them well. Like blacksmiths and carpenters, they’re skilled vassals and technicians. They’re important vassals like everyone else, and I respected them.”
“Look, I’m just making a guess. It’s just the only reason I could think of for why craftsmen would get angry. That’s all.”
With that, Kuuga lies down to get comfortable.
“I ain’t particularly clever, so I can only go by my gut.”
“You think I disrespected them?”
“Nah, not you. Maybe Gungrave, but this is just my gut feeling too.”
“What do you mean by-”
“I’m gonna sleep until we get there. Wake me up when we arrive.”
Wait, what about the explanation?
Before I can ask, Kuuga is already breathing the steady breaths of sleep.
Using a convenient skill from his mercenary group days, he’s demonstrating his ability to sleep whenever he wants and wake whenever he wants. Don’t show that off now.
But this is troublesome. While I’m scratching my head in confusion, Aeclys is also sighing with a troubled expression beside me.
“Sigh… possibilities other than rational reasons, huh?”
“Huh?”
“What Kuuga probably meant is that it’s not about profit or rationality or efficiency or whatever you want to call it.
In other words, it’s emotional. They simply can’t accept it.”
“You mean… because Gungrave became the new lord and even changed the territory’s name?”
“Yes. We should have considered that possibility. From their perspective, someone else changed their homeland arbitrarily. The name, the traditions, everything. It’s not strange that some people would be emotionally unable to accept that.”
“Won’t that make persuading them difficult?”
“I think so too.”
Aeclys sighs deeply again and closes her eyes with a troubled expression.
Well, it was similar in Eere Village too… can’t be helped I guess.
“Sorry to interrupt.”
Lill’s voice comes from the front.
“If the map is correct, we should arrive at our destination in about two hours. I recommend getting some rest.”
“Oh, are we that close already?”
I stick my head out of the wagon and indeed, the surroundings have changed.
Specifically, the road maintenance has improved. Until now it was just a basic path, but this area has properly leveled roads. The scenery is quite different from before too.
“Well, let’s think about it after we arrive. Shuri, you should rest too. I’ll take a short nap as well.”
When I turn around, Aeclys yawns sleepily, stretches, and lies down.
The fact that she’s closing her eyes to sleep shows she’s quite used to traveling. She mentioned doing inspections, so maybe she’s accustomed to journeys like this.
I guess I’ll rest a bit too. Just as I’m about to lie down somewhere random, Aeclys suddenly opens her eyes and starts patting the space next to her energetically.
“When there’s a lovely young lady sleeping here, isn’t it best to take advantage and sleep next to her!?”
“I’ll pass.”
“Why!?”
“Because… I feel like you might do something weird.”
“I wouldn’t do anything like that! Since we’re sleeping, it can’t be helped if our legs get tangled up!”
“That’s exactly what I mean.”
“You’re too noisy!”
We get scolded by Kuuga for being loud.
Then while taking a short nap, I hear Lill’s voice through my drowsiness.
“Shuri.”
“Mm…”
“Shuri… time to wake up”
“Yes… understood”
I rub my sleepy eyes and try to get up… but why does my body feel heavy?
When I properly wake up and move my neck, I find Aeclys sleeping while clinging to me.
“Munya munya… such… such embarrassing things…! But…”
I hear some concerning sleep talk, but I swear I didn’t do anything.
Looking to the side, I see Kuuga, who was supposed to be sleeping while leaning against the wagon, showing a peaceful sleeping face.
“…there, Shuri… strike there…”
Huh? What kind of dream is he having?
From the outside it probably looks like an ordinary guy being cuddled by two beauties while sleeping, but one is a man and the other is a woman in men’s clothes. Worst case scenario it looks like three men sleeping together… let’s stop thinking about this.
Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen Kuuga sleeping with such a peaceful, gentle expression. Combined with his features, it’s quite a beautiful sleeping face.
However, I should probably get up soon before Lill gets angry.
So I carefully untangle myself from Aeclys’s embrace without waking her, and move her legs to tangle with Kuuga’s instead.
“Kekeke, you’ll be surprised when you wake up.”
Leaving them like that with mischievous intent, I move to the driver’s seat and sit next to Lill.
“Good morning. Have we arrived?”
“Yes. Look, over there.”
Looking where Lill points, I can indeed see houses coming into view. Several impressive wooden houses.
And among them, two large wooden factory-like buildings that catch the eye. I wonder if that’s where they do the thread-making and weaving…?
I see, with such impressive factories, it makes sense that they supplied thread and fabric to the lord. They clearly have the facilities to do so.
“And over there you can see Shukaha Village’s special cotton fields.”
“Oh.”
Looking where Lill indicates, there are cotton fields spreading as far as the eye can see. They seem to be using vast tracts of land for cotton cultivation, visible far into the distance.
But… this makes me wonder.
“What about their food situation?”
“What do you mean?”
“Well, I’m wondering where they grow crops for their own food. Managing and cultivating this much cotton must require considerable labor and manpower.”
Of course, this isn’t Earth. There are no agricultural machines or pesticides.
Yet managing and maintaining such vast fields must take tremendous effort.
Plus, what about fertilizer and water? I don’t know if cotton fertilizer is the same as regular field fertilizer, but they must need something to maintain the soil quality.
With all that labor required, how are they handling fields for their own food? I’m curious.
“Obviously fields don’t just take care of themselves. When you consider management, maintenance, and protection, I wonder if they have time to grow their own food.”
“Uwaaaaah!?”
“What’s happening!?”
“You pervert!!!”
“Perv!?”
While I’m talking with Lill, we hear shouts, yells, and screams from behind. What’s going on!?
As I try to look back, someone bursts out next to me.
“Shuri!! Listen to me!”
“What’s wrong, Kuuga?”
There stands Kuuga, with a red handprint on his right cheek…
“I don’t know what happened, but while I was sleeping, I somehow ended up sleeping on the floor with Aeclys tangling her legs with mine! I don’t know anything about it but Aeclys suddenly slapped me, what’s going on!?”
“That’s my line!”
Aeclys comes out from behind with tears in her eyes.
“I was supposed to be sleeping with Shuri, so why was Kuuga sleeping next to me!? What’s going on!?”
From there, they both start shouting their sides of the story, but honestly, I’m internally breaking out in a cold sweat.
I didn’t expect my prank to turn out this badly… in this situation, I should…
“Who knows?”
I play dumb.
And so we arrive at Shukaha Village, park our wagon at the entrance, and enter the village.
“You perverted bastard.”
“You cross-dressing pervert.”
I can hear Aeclys and Kuuga’s curse-like argument continuing behind us, but I should probably clear up their misunderstanding sometime… wonder if I can?
“So, Aeclys. The village chief…”
“At this time, they’re probably in that thread-making factory over there? They do spinning too.”
“Spinning too.”
I see. Thread-making refers to creating thread from silkworm cocoons, while spinning is making thread from plant and animal fibers like cotton.
I didn’t really understand before and lumped all thread-making together… which means.
“So that other factory is for silkworm cultivation or something?”
“Correct. They need that scale of operation to balance supply and demand.”
I see…
“By the way, how do they handle food? I don’t see any food crops around.”
“Basically hunting and gathering wild plants, plus buying from merchant caravans that visit regularly. We’ve been providing support too, trying to prevent food shortages.”
“Yet they’ve stopped listening.”
I see. So they’re both paying taxes in thread and selling it. I thought that might be the case.
Now then, I wonder what kind of person the village chief is. I’m curious.
“Then let’s go meet them. This way.”
I follow Aeclys’s lead toward the thread-making and spinning factory.
When we open the entrance door, I’m surprised.
“This is like the Tomioka Silk Mill…”
The interior is incredibly hot. I remember visiting a thread-making factory on a school field trip, and it feels similar.
There’s intense heat and humidity from the silk reeling process, where cocoons are loosened in hot water. People are working on thread-making operations all over.
Spinning is also being done simultaneously, and I can see that work too. Huh, so that’s how it works.
While I’m impressed watching this, Lill is muttering something while thinking beside me.
“Lill? What’s wrong?”
“These machines… they’re using magic engineering tools…? Simple construction but… is this how craftsmen maximize their performance…?”
It seems she’s looking at the work tools from a magic engineer’s perspective.
“Whatever, but it’s hot. Let’s finish our business and get out of here.”
“Hmm, honestly I agree with Kuuga…”
While it’s interesting to watch, it’s just too hot. Hot and sticky. Can’t stand it.
As Aeclys heads deeper into the factory, an elderly person appears.
“My word! If it isn’t Lady Aeclys…! Thank goodness you’re safe!”
“It’s been a while, village chief. …Eh? Safe?”
“So you managed to escape here… We’ll contact other villages immediately and prepare to hide you!”
The village chief is speaking rapidly, while Aeclys seems confused about what’s going on. What’s that about?
…Ah, I get it.
“What’s that about? What’s going on?”
“They probably think she escaped from Gungrave.”
Kuuga makes a shocked face at my words.
Come to think of it, that possibility existed. Among people dissatisfied with Gungrave’s regime, some might believe Aeclys was being mistreated and would escape.
It seems this village thought that too…
“Rest assured, Lady Aeclys. We of Shukaha Village haven’t forgotten the great debt we owe you! We won’t speak of disloyalty. You can stay as long as you like, and using our merchant connections to gather people, from that brutal Gungrave, this territory-”
“W-wait! You’re misunderstanding!”
Here Aeclys finally seems to come to her senses and stops the village chief’s words.
“Let’s talk calmly… let’s go to your house.”
And so, we end up going to the village chief’s house.
“I see… so Lady Aeclys, you retired of your own accord.”
Invited to the village chief’s house, we had to explain everything again.
At first, upon learning we were Gungrave’s companions, they looked ready to attack us, but somehow they’ve calmed down.
Outside the windows of the village chief’s house, villagers who had heard of our arrival were packed tightly, observing us.
“That’s right. Neither I nor Gyngus had the talent to navigate the coming turbulent times. I handled internal affairs while Gyngus handled military matters, and we both honed our abilities in our positions and roles, so we could complement each other’s strengths…”
“But there can only be one lord’s seat. With two factions… I see, it would eventually fall apart. So you decided to entrust everything to a third party who possessed both of your strengths.”
“Of course, both Gyngus and I maintain departments to monitor the new lord to prevent any reckless behavior. Gungrave has agreed to this.”
Eh? Was that how it was?
Listening to Aeclys and the village chief’s conversation, I can’t help but look at Kuuga and Lill’s faces.
They both nod, so it must be true. I didn’t know that… Gungrave was quite considerate of Aeclys and the others after all.
“…I understand the situation. If that’s the case, one of our concerns has been addressed.”
“Then-”
Aeclys leans forward with a smile, but the village chief maintains a stern expression while crossing his arms and responds.
“Even so, showing our allegiance will be difficult.”
At these words, we all freeze.
Looking out the window, the villagers are nodding too…
“May I ask why?”
“Well, you see-”
Just as the village chief starts to answer, someone roughly opens the door and bursts into the room.
There stands a young man with a healthy sun-tanned complexion.
“Grandpa! I heard Lady Aeclys was here!”
“Mansem…”
The village chief says with a tired expression.
Mansem, as he’s called, strides right in.
Standing next to the village chief, Mansem glares at us.
“I don’t know why you’re here, but I’m glad Lady Aeclys is safe. These people? Guards?”
“No, Mansem. Let me correct your misunderstanding – these people are companions of Lord Gungrave.”
“What did you say!?”
“Lady Aeclys gave up her position as lord voluntarily. So our concerns were unfounded.”
“Even so, I refuse to follow him!”
Mansem clenches his fist with a frustrated expression.
“He! Gungrave ignored us! He held his wedding ceremony without us, the producers of the finest thread and cloth in the domain!”
“…Ah!!”
At Mansem’s words, Aeclys covers her mouth with her hand, as if suddenly remembering something.
It seems Aeclys now understands everything that happened. Though we’re completely lost. Both Lill and Kuuga are looking around with wide eyes, wondering what this is about.
Let me ask about this.
“Excuse me, but could you explain what you mean by that?”
“It’s simple! When members of the lord’s family held wedding ceremonies, it was customary for us to send ceremonial garments we’d poured our hearts into making! The finest ceremonial clothes, created by us who dedicate our lives to thread and cloth-making, for our lord! Gungrave ignored that and finished his wedding ceremony without us!”
Ah, now I’m starting to understand the situation.
“So, you mean it was normal for Shukaha Village to send wedding garments made from their finest thread and cloth for the lord’s wedding ceremony.”
“That’s right! …We’re just a bunch of craftsman fools who only know how to make thread and cloth.”
Mansem looks down even more frustrated as he continues.
“Normally, people would cultivate fields and treat thread and cloth-making as secondary. That’s natural, right? If you can’t be self-sufficient, it doesn’t matter if you can earn your keep.
But Lady Aeclys was different. She protected our craftwork and created an environment where we could focus on our work. Thanks to that, the quality of our thread and cloth has improved dramatically in recent years. Merchants heard about us, and we were able to establish trade. The village has become much more prosperous than before.
That’s not all. Before, many young people would leave, looking down on thread-making, but after we gained pride and confidence in our work, that decreased. People from other villages even started coming to us, wanting to learn our techniques. We can’t thank Lady Aeclys enough. We’re eternally grateful.”
Here Mansem starts to tear up.
“Then we got word that Lady Aeclys had been dragged down from the lord’s seat. Through merchant gossip. And we heard that the usurper Gungrave would hold a wedding ceremony.
We were torn. Even if he’s a usurper, Gungrave is now the lord. With a wedding ceremony coming up, we were sure we’d receive a request for wedding garments. Many said we should ignore it. I felt the same way.
But this is all we know how to do… if we rejected it, who knows what would happen. So with heavy hearts, we decided to accept if the request came.”
Mansem raises his face and pounds the table with tears still streaming down his face.
Then he glares at us even more intensely than before, with enough anger in his gaze to kill.
“But we were ignored! We only heard about it after the wedding ceremony was over! You have no idea how we felt waiting for that request! You didn’t know, so you ignored us and finished the wedding ceremony! You spat on our pride! As if saying you didn’t even need to know about us!”
“That’s…”
“I don’t want to hear any excuses.”
Mansem cuts me off as I try to speak.
“That’s why we can’t follow you. If you’re going to ignore us, we’ll do things our own way!”
“Mansem, that’s wrong, that’s wrong. This is entirely my fault.”
Aeclys stands up and places her hand on Mansem’s clenched fist.
“We hadn’t forgotten. We didn’t ignore you. While Gungrave has become lord, he hasn’t yet learned to consider everything around him. I should have advised him about this. I should have guided him.
I’m truly sorry. Truly… this was my oversight.”
“It’s not Lady Aeclys’s fault! It’s not your fault…! But still, we’re so frustrated…!”
Mansem breaks down in tears while Aeclys consoles him.
It seems others around share the same feelings – people outside have bitter expressions, and the village chief is frowning with his head down.
Indeed, having your professional pride trampled is no small matter. I can only relate from my position as a chef, but if Gungrave had told me not to cook for his crucial wedding ceremony, I’d feel betrayed and frustrated too.
These people must have felt even more frustrated and sad, beyond what they could handle.
That’s why some are crying this much.
“I think I’ll step outside for a bit.”
Unable to bear the atmosphere in the room, I move to leave.
“Me too. Better if we ain’t here.”
“And Lill too.”
Kuuga and Lill come with me.
The three of us leave the village chief’s house, wander aimlessly, and I end up collapsing in a sitting position in an empty square.
The heat from the ground and the blue of the sky somehow feel distant now.
It seems Kuuga and Lill feel the same way, as we sit facing each other.
“…I didn’t know,” Kuuga says.
He removes his scabbard from his waist and places it on the ground.
“So this is what it means to have a country.”
“Yes.”
Lill nods.
“You have to consider the feelings of people far away who you don’t even know. Lill had no idea. Gungrave will have to fight against so many barriers like this.”
“Me too. I thought I was supporting Gungrave, but when it really mattered, I couldn’t do anything.”
We continue to express our feelings to each other, as if letting everything out.
“Maybe other villages are similar? The previous village… well, I think that’s resolved but…”
“That’s likely. We should assume there are others holding grudges because we unknowingly ignored them.”
“We should inform Gungrave right away.”
“Agreed. We should write a letter and deliver it under the pretense of a survey report.”
Other villages must be the same. People who contributed during the previous lord’s time are probably angry about being ignored in some way.
“Lill, please handle the letter.”
“Understood. What about Shuri?”
“I’ll go back there with Kuuga.”
“Huh? What are you planning?”
“At the very least, if that’s the cause, there are things we need to discuss.”
I turn my feet back toward the village chief’s house.
“And there are things we need to do as well.”
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